tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post47896191404070353..comments2015-03-31T16:17:15.345-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: FRIDAY, Aug. 17, 2007 - Roger BarkanRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86704770360620536132007-09-30T17:37:00.000-04:002007-09-30T17:37:00.000-04:00Another enjoyable slog for me. It is Sunday aftern...Another enjoyable slog for me. It is Sunday afternoon, and I have come back to it 7 or 8 times. I needed some outside help. Wife Hanne came up with 10d TEARIEST, after I looked up the exact definition of "Pathos" for her. I used our (very outdated, and falling apart at the spine) atlas to find the UINTA mountains, and the EEL river.<BR/><BR/>I was handicapped in that the Vancouver Sun didn't print the east coast stack of squares, and the full clues for 46d to 54d. Also, I had to assume AMMAN for 27d, as that clue was not printed either. <BR/><BR/>I agree that the clue for SALAD is the best clue in a long while. <BR/><BR/>You know a puzzle is outstanding when DQ comes on to praise it.<BR/><BR/>Another gem which no-one mentioned; Who would think Hula Hoop could be a verb? Very kewl!<BR/><BR/>Many trips to the tea and coffee pot.WWPierrenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78493362667590012452007-09-29T16:10:00.000-04:002007-09-29T16:10:00.000-04:00I also don't think URIC ACID was accurate and they...I also don't think URIC ACID was accurate and they fudged a bit on EEL being the 3rd longest river. I do have to agree with COT, the last time I booked a room online in Chicago there was an option to add a COT to the room, although sometimes it is a rolleraway but more often an actual cot.atp2007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15382408457418668742007-09-28T22:15:00.000-04:002007-09-28T22:15:00.000-04:00Oy! Oy! After putting in the "sure things" like ...Oy! Oy! After putting in the "sure things" like ZASU and TSE and SAXE and GTOS, I put in SPROUT for PEANUT, TOR for TON, NARCO for HYPNO, etc..<BR/>Even after using Yahoo, I never finished the top half.<BR/>Great puzzle. I learned... humility!billt42noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81643459005167358612007-09-28T12:53:00.000-04:002007-09-28T12:53:00.000-04:00I found this to be a tough one as well, but enjoya...I found this to be a tough one as well, but enjoyable and satisfying once in figured it all out, taking right at 25 minutes.<BR/><BR/>UINTA is weird. <BR/><BR/>My misfill was TOR for TON (mountain), ICON for IDOL, and UNCLE for MISER (the Scrooge McDuck clue). Other than that, it was slow going most of the way.martinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37485987696168498672007-08-18T00:00:00.000-04:002007-08-18T00:00:00.000-04:00That's funny, mmpo.I liked this puzzle very much, ...That's funny, mmpo.<BR/>I liked this puzzle very much, I thought it was satisfying.<BR/>Not that I had a perfect score: I had IGNITE instead of EXCITE. Therefor GMEN instead of XMEN. and I feel like I should have known URIC ACID but I did not and so I filled in some random letters to fill those squares. But I suffered far less than on a usual Friday.Marynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57672079149188088322007-08-17T23:46:00.000-04:002007-08-17T23:46:00.000-04:00Even after some googling (I suppose I have some so...Even after some googling (I suppose I have some sort of xword waterboarding in store, rather than just some dirt to eat) I STILL had PEANUN instead of PEANUT, relentlessly clinging to the 'un notion while, when it didn't work with the rest of the word, deciding that it was the actual spelling of a Yiddish word I've heard but never seen-- PUNIM, which I think means 'pretty face' or more generally a cute little one...anyway, this was a hideous rout for me. Anyone actually know how to spell (or transliterate) punim?flailernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12289692756754623472007-08-17T23:17:00.000-04:002007-08-17T23:17:00.000-04:00The salad clue reminded me of a riddle that was go...The salad clue reminded me of a riddle that was going around back when I was reading Erma Bombeck's column (early 70s):<BR/>Q: What is the honeymooners' diet?<BR/>A: Lettuce alone.mmponoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81205969568385445192007-08-17T23:07:00.000-04:002007-08-17T23:07:00.000-04:00Most of you are probably already on Saturday's puz...Most of you are probably already on Saturday's puzzle, but I did want to add a medical clarification. The majority of kidney stones are actually made up of calcium oxalate, with uric acid being a much less frequent cause.<BR/>DSAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91243949755799588672007-08-17T22:42:00.000-04:002007-08-17T22:42:00.000-04:00I know Roger, so I expected it would be a fun puzz...I know Roger, so I expected it would be a fun puzzle. But I was getting nothing in the top half and thought I would soon call it. Then I was reenergized after making it through the bottom and kept going. I almost gave up a couple of other times, but kept making just enough progress to keep going. Eventually, I made it through the whole thing, with just PEANON for PEANUT, with ZASO and NSE. It was a 75-minute slugfest, but I was glad I finally made it through. Whew! And I loved the clueing, especially for SALAD, STEP TO THE REAR, MALAYALAM, and TELEVISION PILOT. It was reassuring, Rex, to see that you had some of the same problems I did. And my group at work, who does the puzzle using only the down clues, really had to work for this one.Badirnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86661056099394536452007-08-17T21:59:00.000-04:002007-08-17T21:59:00.000-04:00Fergus --Best bet is to claim you are a citizen of...Fergus --<BR/><BR/>Best bet is to claim you are a citizen of the UK.karmasartrenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85783935029269265832007-08-17T20:52:00.000-04:002007-08-17T20:52:00.000-04:00I cannot believe how easy this puzzle was for a Fr...I cannot believe how easy this puzzle was for a Friday one! It had been finished before I went to the gym! Anyhow, Charlotte Amalie in ST Thomas, US Virgin Islands was the destination of a vacation like--40 years ago! so i guess age does matter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59657966859543600342007-08-17T20:21:00.000-04:002007-08-17T20:21:00.000-04:00A hurricane freed me in a shipwreck during my tran...A hurricane freed me in a shipwreck during my transportation to Cuba. Care to guess which port of call I swam into?Fergushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11409764797415906102007-08-17T20:05:00.000-04:002007-08-17T20:05:00.000-04:00No, fergus, When the crossword government wants yo...No, fergus, When the crossword government wants you to know something, you'll know it.Orangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70010154124975976242007-08-17T19:38:00.000-04:002007-08-17T19:38:00.000-04:00Third longest river IN California is actually the ...Third longest river IN California is actually the Klamath at 263 mi. all but a dozen of which are in CA. However, the third longest river OF California (as the 15D clue specifies) is the Eel at ~200 mi. Klamath headwaters being in Oregon apparently doesn't qualify it as being OF CA. Splitting hairs aren't we?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19064139202075170832007-08-17T19:31:00.000-04:002007-08-17T19:31:00.000-04:00Guess I can't really even ask what I'm being charg...Guess I can't really even ask what I'm being charged with if I'm being dragooned off to Gitmo?Fergushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27562299438842240612007-08-17T18:59:00.000-04:002007-08-17T18:59:00.000-04:00I have discovered this site after swallowing my pr...I have discovered this site after swallowing my pride, and then that of my friends', and hopping online.<BR/><BR/>What seach got me here? A confirm or deny on 'Edna' which I'd guessed instead of Erma, which then locked me in to 'door' instead of 'rear' on the bus clue. <BR/><BR/>Loved the puzzle, love the feedbacks, way to go all! Hopefully will return as comrade rather than scavenger in the future.Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719322983720036378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-3286254299817286522007-08-17T18:50:00.000-04:002007-08-17T18:50:00.000-04:00Oh, Fergus, oh no no. You're going to Crossword Gi...Oh, Fergus, oh no no. You're going to Crossword Gitmo.Orangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61331785705202531992007-08-17T18:14:00.000-04:002007-08-17T18:14:00.000-04:00Damn, the last hitless game had that AMU DARYA Riv...Damn, the last hitless game had that AMU DARYA River answer. My manager did leave the dugout to protest the call, only he decided instead to glare straight at me. And I am much chagrined.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>PS While I have nothing against outside sources, my rules are to optimize the puzzle for my own peculiar solving experience. And as threads have shown in the past, whatever reason one may find to indulge in the Crossword is perfectly OK. Secular relativist, that I am.Fergushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71361430149890067172007-08-17T18:03:00.000-04:002007-08-17T18:03:00.000-04:00I raced through the bottom half of the puzzle thin...I raced through the bottom half of the puzzle thinking this couldn't be a Friday one. Well, it was because the top half stopped me cold and decided to give up and "cheat" by peeking at Rex. Ha! My internet was down for over an hour. Finally I get back on, and, as usual didn't get the answer to 1D. What was standingo? I love the answer of standing o(vation). Yeah, I had nse instead of tse and Mame instead of Erma, Glad to read that others had trouble too including Rex!ayoungnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69027187426791789952007-08-17T17:59:00.000-04:002007-08-17T17:59:00.000-04:00Fergus,That's clearly cheating. It's not even clos...Fergus,<BR/><BR/>That's clearly cheating. It's not even close. Whatever ump made that call was clearly paid off.<BR/><BR/>There's no shame in using outside sources, but by the standards of your little game ... you're out.<BR/><BR/>rpRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71646484283629908392007-08-17T17:47:00.000-04:002007-08-17T17:47:00.000-04:00I didn't get eaten up by this puzzle because I too...I didn't get eaten up by this puzzle because I took the simple expedient solution to incipient frustration: I went for a little stroll. With a little extra purpose -- to check the spelling on the plaque at a house around the corner from mine in Santa Cruz. "Childhood home of ZaSu Pitts, film actress 1893-1964." <BR/><BR/>Is this cheating? I'm very strict with myself in not using any outside sources, and have a good long streak going. This feels a bit like a hitting streak in baseball -- a questionable call, which the official scorer ruled a hit. Phew.<BR/><BR/>I had POP OUT for Squirt, tried some Herb TEA, and instead of STANDING O, I was sure I was right with Stoked Ego. Slightly humbling. All in all, nowhere close to meriting an A PLUS, but ATE DIRT only in the SALAD.Fergushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74983761726878452302007-08-17T17:27:00.000-04:002007-08-17T17:27:00.000-04:00Ron, you can subscribe (yes, it costs money) via t...Ron, you can subscribe (yes, it costs money) via the "The New York Times Crossword Puzzle" link in the side bar, near the end of Other Crossword Sites.Orangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61996218926346203972007-08-17T17:21:00.000-04:002007-08-17T17:21:00.000-04:00PS - I got SHAG CARPET right off the bat !PS - I got SHAG CARPET right off the bat !Ronnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11258112587369928542007-08-17T17:20:00.000-04:002007-08-17T17:20:00.000-04:00Can someone direct me to the link for the interac...Can someone direct me to the link for the interactive puzzle that is referenced here? <BR/><BR/>I do the paper version every day, but I'd like to try the interactive, thanks<BR/><BR/>RonRonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15671630710182237462007-08-17T16:04:00.001-04:002007-08-17T16:04:00.001-04:00P.S. I LIVED in Charlotte Amalie for six years--ev...P.S. I LIVED in Charlotte Amalie for six years--even know a song with that title, and I still didn't get it.Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577941338609014362noreply@blogger.com